November 26, 1997: Top Cop Assails Anti-Gang Injunctions in CA - ACLU

VAN NUYS, CA -- Opponents of court injunctions designed to stem gang crime may have gained an unexpected ally: the San Fernando Valley's top cop.

The Los Angeles Times reports that LA Police Department Deputy Chief Michael J. Bostic has surprised politicians by calling the injunctions too costly and recommending instead that beat cops be given more tools in their effort to snare parole violators.

Buying computer software that would give beat police instant access to a suspect's record would be a better investment than pursuing more court orders, Bostic said.

The Times says the issue takes on wider significance as officials push for greater anti-gang efforts in North Hills and at Hubert Humphrey Park in Pacoima.

The court orders, widely embraced by municipal officials, give police broad latitude to arrest gangbangers for seemingly innocuous activities, such as loitering on a public street, associating with others or carrying a pager.

But the Times says that the American Civil Liberties Union considers the court orders unconstitutional and unsuccessfully fought the Blythe Street injunction in Panorama City. The ACLU also contends that the policy pushes gang members into other neighborhoods, shifting criminal activity to other areas but doing little to reduce it.

"I think what the deputy chief said ties into one of our major concerns about the efficacy of gang injunctions," said Elizabeth Schroeder, associate director of the ACLU of Southern California. "Police are able to put mammoth resources into areas covered by the injunctions immediately after the court order goes into effect," Schroeder told the newspaper. "However, they are unable to sustain that kind of commitment and adequately patrol other areas" at the same time.

Bostic's statements, during a gang briefing for Valley council members earlier this month, come at a time when Councilman Richard Alarcon is pushing a $1.1-million plan to step up anti-gang efforts by expanding the injunction tactic.

Bostic told the Times that he does not oppose injunctions, but expressed concern that the court orders are becoming "the chic thing to do."

"Crime patterns change, and we have a responsibility to move to that problem," Bostic said. "But when we have a gang injunction, it limits our ability to respond to a larger problem that may crop up because we are ethically committed to be there."